Damian Lillard once again showed why he’s considered one of the most lethal three-point shooters the game has ever seen. In Game 5 of the Portland Trailblazers’ first-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets, Lillard sunk 12 three-pointers and set a new NBA playoff record.
The previous record-holder was Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who made 11 shots from behind the three-point arc in 2016 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lillard finished the game with 55 points and 10 assists while making 17 out of 24 field goals attempted and going 12 of 17 from the three-pointline. Unfortunately for Portland, this magnificent outing wasn’t enough to overcome the Nuggets, who won 147-140 in two overtimes and took a 3-2 lead in the series.
After the game, Lillard received praise from Denver head coach Michael Malone, who called him superhuman.
“It was the best playoff performance I’ve ever seen,” added Blazers coach Terry Stotts.
But the 30-year-old All-Star seemed not to care all that much about his individual achievement.
“It don’t matter. We lost the game,” said Lillard after the game. “At this point, all that matters is we can’t lose another game in the series. We go out there, and we play to win the game, and we came up short.”
Lillard and the Blazers still have a chance to dig themselves out of the 3-2 hole and advance to the second round. They host the Nuggets in their Moda Center on Thursday for Game 6 and need to win in order to force the deciding Game 7.
